Playing Dress Up
by tetisheri
Summary: A little girl fantasizes about a life of glamour.


AN: I have only seen the movie, so I apologize for that right now, but I couldn't get this small scene out of my head while I was watching the movie. In my creative writing class our teacher had us pick one of the characters from Of Mice and Men, and make a prequel or a sequel. I chose Curly's wife and this is what came out of it.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Playing Dress Up

The mid afternoon sun shone through the window, the thin curtains doing nothing to block the golden light from the room. A bed covered in an faded quilt blanket in the middle of the room, a small modest wooden dresser pushed against one of the walls on it's side. A full length mirror stood tall across from the bed, dust moats clung to it's shiny surface momentarily illuminated by the sunlight. A small round rug, fraying at the edges from age lay in front of it.

A little girl, maybe six or seven, stood in front of the mirror smiling at her reflection in admiration. Her small form was dwarfed by the long yellow dress with daisies on it, one of her shoulders left bare as the neck proved too wide. Hidden by the dragging dress was a pair of black heels, small socked feet pushed into them. A large white woven Sunday hat lay on the mess of black hair on her head, tipped upward to allow the girl to see, the shadows creating a woven pattern across the young girls face. A beautiful pearl necklace dangled around the girls neck.

She giggled quietly looking over at a dog that lay beside the bed. It was a large, old looking dog with black and brown spots. It's drooping ears lay flat on the floor, it's face slightly squished from the floor. The dog was clearly sleeping, not even the black top hat placed on it's head disturbed it. The little girl giggled again looking back at her reflection.

"I ready, are you?" Green eyes shone with excitement as she took in her appearance once more before she turned from the reflection shuffling towards the dog. Her movements were slow and awkward, her toes scrunching together so she could walk with the heels. She stopped just a few inches from the dogs snout. "Why thank you Mr. Rue." she dipped down in a curtsey the pearls jangling from the sudden movement. "What a perfect gentlemen you are, holding the door for a lady." she stifled a giggle tapping her way back towards the mirror.

Slowly the room melded away to a grand hall, the ceiling moving farther and father away until she could no longer see it. Grand chandeliers hung from the disappearing ceiling. People dressed in silk dresses, and formal suits took shape, replacing the old sleeping dog. The fraying rug deepened in color turning a scarlet red lengthening until it took up most of the floor. The little girl smiled in triumph as she began to hear the echoing praises of the people.

"_Where did you get those pearls Sarah?" _a beautiful woman in a black dress asked. Sarah looked directly into mirror. she lightly touched the pearls that hung from her neck.

"Why I just had them brought in from Paris." She smoothed her fingers over the delicate necklace once more before looking back into the mirror.

"_My they are very beautiful." _She straightened her shoulders in confidence.

"_Miss. Sarah,"_ Sarah swished around, seeing a handsome young man wearing a black and white tux with kind blue eyes. "_It's a pleasure to see you here."_ Sarah held out her hand to be kissed. She giggled in delight the hall with the beautiful people wavering slightly.

"And you Phillip. You did amazing playing that role." Sarah complimented with a shy smile.

"_Not as great as you did Miss. Sarah. You are absolutely talented." _A blush crept across her cheeks at the praise.

"_Oh yes, I will be so disappointed if you are not in every movie from now on."_ another beautiful woman in a pale yellow shining dress came up to Sarah.

"Oh why thank you, I don't think I'm _that_ good." she smiled a small coy smile. The faces of her admirers twisted in distress.

"_Don't say that Miss. Sarah! You're amazing!"_

"_You're one of the greats!"_

"_I'd love to be you!" _Sarah beamed brightly at them, knowing she had earned all their praises and more. She curtseyed for them all, the hat falling forward covering her eyes. She pushed the hat back up mussing the already messy locks of hair.

"_Let me take your picture Miss. Sarah."_ She looked skeptically at the person with the camera. "_It is for the front page of the newspaper."_

"Well, I suppose." she sighed dramatically. "If it's for the newspaper." Sarah warned. The girl placed her hand on her hips swishing her hip from one side to the other just like how she saw the women do in movies.

"What are you doing!" a shrill voice asked shattering the hall with the stunningly dressed people. Sarah tore her eyes from the mirror to see her mother standing in the doorway. "Sarah what are you doing?" Her mother had dark hair piled on her hair in a messy bun, her dress pulled tight over her curved body, an off white apron tied in the front of it.

"I-I was-" the little girl stammered beginning to shuffle backwards. The heel caught under the dress causing her to stumble onto her butt. The woman's eyes narrowed in on the twinkling pearls. "I was only playing mama." she murmured.

"How many times have I told you to leave my jewelry alone?" her mother strode towards her, harshly pulling her off the ground to stand. She pulled the hat off her daughters head tossing it to the bed. "I swear Sarah you never listen to me."

"Bu-but mama it-it was only-" she started but stopped as her mother's cold stare met her gaze.

"No excuses Sarah. I've told you hundreds of times not to play with my stuff." she gently pulled the pearls off the girls neck. "These were you're grandmother's pearls," the woman muttered, "I only wear these on holidays and Sundays. You know not to touch them!" Sarah felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Only God knows what your father would have done if he would have come in with you wearing those." she began to work on getting the dress off, oblivious to Sarah's ever growing distress.

"Mama, I didn't-"

"You're so lucky he's out in the stables right now!" the mother continued, "He'd have licked you. These pearls mean something Sarah." she pulled the dress over her daughters head. "Now why'd you put these on?"

"I-I had to look pretty for the opening mama! Imma be an actress! And Imma go to Hollywood!" Sarah started prattling on, "There's gunna be lots of people who just love me! Imma be in the movies, and I'll be in those billboard things! My names gunna be up in the stars!" she looked to her mother, those bright green eyes shining with a thousand dreams.

"Now that's just nonsense. You don't got time to think about actresses, and movies." the mother said sternly picking the girl up and out of the heels before setting her back down. "Turn around." she looked into the big watery eyes without waver. Sarah nodded softly her lip quivering with the effort it took not to cry turning away from her mother. The slap on her butt stung, but her father hit worse. "That's all nonsense you hear? Get dressed and help me and your dad outside."

"M'kay mama." She murmured before letting out a sob running from the room in tears.

"Good." Her mother stood up slowly stretching her back when she was fully upright. She looked to the pearls in her hand shaking her head. She walked over to the dressed, opening the small jewelry box. "Girl's got her head in the clouds, no good'll come of that." she muttered gently placing the pearls in the box and closing the lid. She glanced at the open doorway her daughter had ran through just a few minutes before and sighed with a small frown.


End file.
